Solid-state memory devices have increased in popularity in recent years. By way of example, flash memory has come into common use in many devices such as digital cameras, music players, and the like. In several solid-state memory devices, cross-point arrays of memory cells are provided that, for instance, are capable of two or more different resistance states that indicate a logic value stored by the memory cell. For instance, each memory cell can be capable of a first (e.g., high) resistance state that represents a logic value “1” and a second (e.g., low) resistance state that represents a logic value “0.”
To write data to a selected memory cell in such an array, current flow is provided to the selected memory cell to change its resistance state. This state can be read by applying another, typically lesser, potential to the memory cell to sense its resistivity.
Although the amount of voltage, and therefore energy, required to write to memory cells of cross-point memory arrays is not large in an absolute sense, a relatively large amount of energy is expended in the aggregate over the course of many writes and reads.